Meet Rob Simons | Writer + Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rob Simons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rob, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Life’s a risk, but to become truly great at something, anything, I think you have to take chances and “live recklessly” — as Joan Didion said. You have to be willing to put it all on the line.

Growing up, my dad was a judge and my mom a school teacher. My brother is a corporate attorney. It would have been easier for me to take a more conventional path. But I’ve always had this need to tell stories — to make sense of what it means to be alive.

Throughout my career, I’ve felt restless. Like, is this all there really is? Is this what I was meant to do for the rest of my life? I guess that’s why I keep blowing things up every couple of years and starting over. It’s never too late to change the trajectory of your life. Of course, each time has been an exercise in rejection and despair, at least initially. But I think struggle is just part of the creative journey. Every time I get knocked down I get back up. I persevere. And those scars are where I’ve learned and grown the most. Through it all, it’s taught me kindness and humility.

Chasing the muse is scary, especially if you don’t have a backup plan. But f*ck it, life’s a risk. I don’t want to look back with regret.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
At heart, I’m a storyteller. I studied film at UC Santa Barbara and got an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts. I initially wanted to be a film director, the next Stanley Kubrick, but in grad school discovered a love for literature and photography.

I work primarily as an advertising copywriter. I’ve been fortunate to write commercials and lead digital campaigns for some of the biggest brands in the world. Before that, I was an English professor at a junior college in Sacramento. That was probably the most rewarding job I’ve had.

I take photos virtually every day. I think it helps inform my writing, and vice versa. I find beauty in mundane aspects of everyday life — empty strip malls, old buildings, bridges, parked cars, street signs, gas stations, broken glass and graffiti, etc. My portraits, which feel like scenes from short films I’ll never write, incorporate these same elements of the city. I think it’s where all my narrative interests come together.

Back in grad school I collaborated with Werner Herzog on the script for Rescue Dawn, starring Christian Bale. I was too young and naive at the time to really understand the industry, and how to capitalize on the opportunity. I was more interested in writing short stories like Raymond Carver. Around that time, I published a collection of fiction, Things Kept Burning, which sold like 300 copies, total — half of which I think my mom bought and handed out herself 🙂

I’m currently working on a new screenplay.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve been in LA for 7 years but still feel like a tourist. I think I could live here forever and still not experience all the magic this city has to offer. Most weekends, I just pick a neighborhood and go exploring.

But I live in East Hollywood, right on the Los Feliz border and just down the street from Silver Lake, and I love the creative, DIY vibes here. I think the perfect weekend would be any combination of the following:

Pastry and coffee at Friends + Family in Los Feliz
Walk around Silver Lake Reservoir
Tour the Neutra VDL Studio and Residence
Art books at the Skylight Books Annex
Plant-based goodness at Jewel LA
Vintage clothing, books and art at Virgil Normal
Dumplings, wine and small plates at Pine & Craft
Happy hour at 4100 Bar
Drinks and live music at Gold Diggers

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My friend Anne-Marie Kinney is a LA-based author of two brilliant novels, Radio Iris (2012) and Coldwater Canyon (2018), with a third book coming soon. She not only is a constant source of literary inspiration, but she’s introduced me to so many amazing indie/post-punk bands. When she sends a link to an upcoming show, I know it’s going to be good.

I got my first two tattoos this year courtesy of Asia Rain, an LA-based vegan tattoo artist and co-owner of Besties Vegan Paradise, a vegan convenience store in East Hollywood. Asia has the steadiest hands in the game, and I really admire all that she’s built as an entrepreneur.

2M80 is a new side project by Vinny Earley of Vaguess and Staz Lindes of The Paranoyds, and their first release has been the soundtrack to my summer. It’s raw and sweet and super catchy. You won’t be able to get it out of your head.

Website: https://www.robsimons.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robsimons24/

Other: I also curate a photo blog at https://mayanhandballcourt.com